Memories and Musings
by Mintermist
Summary: A set of short drabbles about numerous JatD Characters and pairings that I originally wrote while listening to four CDs at midnight or so, and then continued onwards with. You know the drill of the iPod Shuffle Game. So enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

****

The iPod Shuffle Challenge

**You know the rules! Or if you don't...**

**Here is what to do:  
****1) Choose a specific pairing/fandom/etc as your topic.  
****2) Put your iPod/Media Player/CD on shuffle.  
****3) As each song starts, write the title of the song and the singer/band,  
and then begin writing about your subject. You only have the length of  
the song to finish, though. Once the song ends, so do you. No exceptions.  
****4) Most importantly, HAVE FUN!**

**Author's Note: I wrote these after an exceptionally long day (so I was  
darn exhausted), and I didn't bother correcting them, so they are  
bound to be cheesy and full of mistakes. Don't worry, the cheesiness is  
intentional. I needed lame fluff to lighten my mood. The mistakes,  
though...not so much planned but rather inconveniently unavoidable.  
But whatever. It was fun to write, and I hope that you laugh when you read this! :D**

* * *

**World That Breaks- Britt Nicole  
**Without her, his life was broken. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't sing, he couldn't dream without thoughts of her.  
She was his world, the song within his heart that yearned to be sung. And yet, he kept such feelings to himself, for fear of rejection.

**Looking For Angels- Skillet  
**She was magnificent. She was an angel, her head wreathed by a halo of heavenly fire, streaming behind her as she rode upon the  
battlefield, the silver of her blade sparkling as a thousand stars. Gunther's pulse quickened, with both fear and awe and adoration,  
whenever he saw her through the chaos of the battle, a blur of colour, light and speed. And then she would vanish within the cries  
of war, and his eyes would begin looking for his angel once more.

**Face of the Earth- Toby Mac  
**There was no one else like her on the face of the earth. Rake would gaze in amazement every time that she would kiss him lightly  
on the cheek, and a blush would creep across his cheeks whenever their hands brushed. He knew that he loved her, and wondered  
if she loved him as much as he loved her, for Pepper was the apple of his eyes, the most beautiful rose within his garden, and his  
innocent love for her grew quicker and stronger than his beloved plants.

**Made to Love- Toby Mac  
**Jane couldn't help it. There were times during their practice, as they exchanged blows, that she couldn't help but noticed the fierce  
light within his grey eyes, or the sheen of his black hair, the movements of his body or the blush that burned her face when their blows  
caused them to bump into one another. Though she denied it, she could not help but wonder if she was meant to love Gunther Breech.

**Those Nights- Skillet  
**The nights when she was younger often came to Jane's mind, memories of when she would sit and talk and laugh with the boy in the blue  
hat. Friendship with him had been easy- simple as breathing, and she missed the days that she could cry on his shoulder and come to him  
for advice. She wished that she could tell him how much she missed him, and quietly cried at night wishing that she could have let him know  
that she loved him before it was too late.

**Ready- Britt Nicole  
**He told himself that he was ready, as he stood with his back to the castle. Memories burned in his mind's eye of the red-haired girl he had  
loved. He was ready to admit that he couldn't have her, but also couldn't live without her. He told himself that he was ready to put this  
chapter of his life behind him, ready for the pain of never seeing her again. Steeling himself, Gunther Breech told himself that he was ready  
to forget Jane. He was ready to tell himself a lie.

**Never Alone- Barlowgirl  
**The code of the knights stated that a knight would never be alone. They would always have their comrades at their back. Gunther clung to  
this secretly, hoping that he would never have to be alone as he had been as a child, and hoping that he would never be forced to be away  
from Jane.

**Believe- Britt Nicole  
**There were times that Jester believed that she returned his love, when her green eyes met his blue ones with a look that he could not place.  
He wanted to believe that Jane loved him. He truly wanted to believe that he was not simply imagining.

**I'm For You- Toby Mac  
**He was always there for her, a thread of sanity in her confusion. It was always him that she came to for support, and it made Jester glow with  
pride. He promised himself that he would always be whatever she needed him to be, whether it was friend, lover, or a practice bag.

**Comatose- Skillet  
**He couldn't live with her, he couldn't live without her. He needed her almost as much as she did not need him. He could not sleep without being  
haunted by her face, and could not be awake without finding himself looking for her. He needed her as much as he needed to breathe, and yet  
she suffocated him. She had struck him with a weapon more deadly than either of their knight masters could have imagined, and Gunther's heart  
lay in comatose, bleeding and broken.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! A new fluffy "chapter", written especially for ****KrisEleven****, ****The Lightning Flash****, and ****Zero Skye****,  
[oooh, feel special, you three!!!] who were kind enough to review and cool enough to request  
for more. YAY! (I think I was cool enough to oblige their request, too, seeing that this ended  
up being written.)**

**Yeah, so, for the songs'-copyright-thing-so-I-don't-get-sued-and-blah-blah-blah, these were  
**_**all**_** done to a single CD, Tim Hughes's **_**Holding Nothing Back**_** from 2007. Yeah, so (C) of the  
titles go to Tim Hughes. There you go, buddy. The end.  
****I'm going to sleep now [argh, I have stupid sleeping hours], so, just go read. And  
enjoy/laugh/roll your eyes and/or declare me positively insane! **

**P.S. Ahaha..."Take the World" was sort of inspired by a chapter in Stephanie Meyer's **_**Breaking  
Dawn**_**, and I realized that **_**after**_** I wrote it, so it was not intentional.  
****And, on a final note, if you want more, I will write more. Just review this, and then tell me.**

* * *

**Out of the Darkness­  
**He hadn't even realized that he was living in the dark. In fact, he didn't even realize that his existence  
was so hollow, so empty and cold. He thought that his father's commanding voice was all that there  
was to this life, until someone lit the flame.  
The fire was blinding, vibrant, wreathed in a permanent orangey-gold glow that shed its light everywhere.  
He could only squint at it at first, his eyes unaccustomed to the brightness. He did not understand the  
flame. It was as quick to burn him as to give him light and warmth. His grey eyes could not help but watch  
its dangerous beauty, as it danced on, leading him out of his darkness, making him open his eyes to the  
world and beauty around him.

**Everything  
**She was his everything. His everything unachievable, everything denied and desired. He could not help  
but love her, and though he told himself that it was impossible, that she would only ever wish to be  
strictly and simply friends, he could not stop his heart from beating in passionate adoration when he saw  
her face, or a tremor of pleasure to run through him as she spoke his name. As much as he wished to deny  
it, Jester's heart silently proclaimed her as his everything.

**Happy Day**  
They were married on a soft summer night, when the wind was warm and the delicate pink blossoms  
flowered beautifully. Rake's eyes shone, filled with the purest, most joyful of loves as his bride was walked to  
him, her dark hair flowing down freely and adorned by flower petals.  
He had never been more joyful, never more blissful, than the moment when their eyes met, shining with  
devotion as they clung to each other's hands and exchanged their vows of love on that glorious day. Their  
friends and family cheered, though Rake had eyes and ears only for Pepper. He thought his heart might split,  
for he had never been so happy. She made him feel more alive than the greenest of sprigs in his garden.

**Take the World  
**He had shattered, breaking into a thousand bitter shards. _You need a brain?_ He thought angrily, embittered.  
_A friend? A home? A heart? Go ahead, take mine. Oh, what was that? Not enough? Fine, take the world, take _my_  
world, _my_ life. Take _her_. Take whatever you need from this poor fool, as long as _she_ is happy._ He broke down into  
a silent cry of agony as he saw them walking together, fire and darkness.

**Holding Nothing Back  
**She held nothing back as she kissed him, stretching up on her toes, her arms wrapped around his neck as she  
pulled his face down to hers. Her hands knotted themselves into his hair, as their lips moved in unison. His arms  
tightened around her waist, pulling her as close as possible to his body, and shivers of excitement set her skin  
aflame from where they touched. He was hers for keeps, and nothing would change that.

**Center of It All  
**He was, of course, the center of it all. He knew that they knew it, even if those short-sighted shortlives didn't  
realize it yet. He was the _true_ king of these parts, able to smash them all with a single swish of his great scaly  
green tail or a gentle breath of flame if he needed to. Though, the overgrown-lizard had to add as an  
afterthought that he never would. He simply held the power, the brains, _and_ the beauty, because, oh yes, he  
knew that he was, of course, incredibly handsome. In_credibly_ handsome, indeed.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** **More random drabbles. Forgive me of their lameness, I wasn't feeling very inspired. In fact, I probably shouldn't have posted, since these will make me look bad. And I mean, _really_ bad...**

Oh well. Just review, please.

* * *

**Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie**

She knew that she would miss him if he left Kippernia, but she never imagined  
that it would be quite like this. It was as if someone had ripped out a piece of  
her heart that she never even knew was there, carving out an aching hollow in  
her chest that she couldn't fill. It made her feel weak, that one person could  
make her feel this way, so...broken. A crystalline tear rolled off of her cheek,  
and before she knew it, she was sobbing.

**My Last Breath- Evanescence**

He hadn't really imagined that it would end like this for him. He wasn't _supposed  
_to die like this. He had wanted to die in glorious battle, bringing countless of the  
fallen with him. Yet, here he was, lying on, yes, a muddy battlefield, but not from  
glorious battle. He spat out the metallic rust taste of blood from his mouth, hating  
himself for it. What was he dying for? For nobility and chivalry? Or, was it for _her_?  
Gunther saw a shock of red hair above him, and sighed. Yes, for her. He would die  
a thousand deaths to save her. "I love you," he murmured with his last breath,  
before fading into nothingness.

**Miss Independent- Kelly Clarkson**

She didn't want to fall in love. Love was seemingly too complicated, too fraught  
with emotion that would distract her. And, if she fell in love, all of her work would  
be in vain...wouldn't it? Would _they_, the king and her knight masters, let her  
continue her quest for knighthood if she married and bore children? She wasn't  
really sure. But the thought of revoking her apprenticeship scared her, and she  
fought to ignore all romance. She ignored the banter from her fellow squire, and  
struggled to not notice the sweet support that she received from the jester. But,  
fight valiantly as she did, Jane could not really remove the emotion from her  
independent heart, which craved only to be loved.

**Button For Punishment- Everybody Else**

His friendship with her was, by far, the sweetest and most torturous relationship  
of his life- the most precious and painful of things, to be so close to her, and know  
that she did not feel the same or did not _want_ to feel anything at all. It was a  
beautiful punishment, one that he craved more than life itself. Jane was everything  
and nothing more than a friend to Jester.

**Unfaithful- Rihanna**

She couldn't stop the tears. She had thought that they could be together, that  
they could make it work. Knight and knight...they had something in common,  
didn't they?  
But it killed her inside, to know that he could love another woman, be happy  
with another. That Gunther could be happy with someone other that Jane was  
like a blade being dragged slowly across her heart. She felt alone, knowing that  
he was unfaithful to her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if holding herself together, as sobs  
wracked her lithe body. The fresh spring breeze nipped at her, blowing her red  
frizz around her face.

"Jane?" The voice was soft, gentle, and she looked up to see the clear, honest  
eyes of the Jester. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her in comfort,  
and simply held her, as the most faithful of friends.

**Good Enough- Evanescence**

For the present she wanted was to be friends, and he understood completely. If  
she ever wanted him, she knew that he had already as good as given her his  
heart, and he saw her smile from pleasure at it, lighting a tender flame of hope in  
his heart. And that was good enough for him.

**Please Don't Stop The Music- Rihanna**

The lilting melody was beautiful, flowing from the lute with exquisite grace. Jane sat  
at Jester's feet on the battlements, her back pressed against the cool, weatherworn  
stone, listening in awe.

"Beautiful," she murmured. "You truly have a give for the arts, Jester." He smiled in  
response, glad to please her. "Promise me that you will never stop playing?" She stood  
up to face him, her face the picture of bliss. "Promise?"

"I...of course, Jane?" He replied, confused. She beamed.

"If you stopped, I think that I'd be quite desolate," she said, and before he realized it,  
she had leant forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note****: Hello, my dears. Happily I do bring thee more musings, alternate storylines and such. Ahaha. Man. I've been analyzing too much Shakespeare...  
****In advance, I would like to apologize for the fact that many are on a slightly/very sad note. I was a little depressed when I wrote them, and by some chance, almost every song that played had something to do with death, pain, tears, betrayal, broken relationships, etc. They were strangely linked with my mood, and yet I **_**swear**_** that I had happy songs on my list too! It's just... they didn't come on. Strange, huh? Also, some of these are pretty long, and you can expect a few short chapter fics on them in the future if you would like them.**

**Anyways, I've got to go. Oh, and to any readers of "Ballad", I will post chapter 13 as soon as it's finished. Sorry for keeping you waiting.**

**Lots of love,**

**-Mintermist**

**

* * *

**

Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie

She knew that she would miss him if he left Kippernia, but she never imagined that it would be quite like this. It was as if someone had ripped out a piece of her heart that she never even knew was there, carving out an aching hollow in her chest that she couldn't fill. It made her feel weak, that one person could make her feel this way. So...broken. A crystalline tear rolled off of her cheek, and before she knew it, she was sobbing.

**My Last Breath- Evanescence**

He hadn't really imagined that it would end like this for him. He wasn't _supposed_ to die like this. He had wanted to die in glorious battle, bringing countless of the fallen with him. Yet, here he was, lying on, yes, a muddy field, but not from glorious battle. He spat out the metallic rust taste of blood from his mouth, hating himself for it.

What _was_ he dying for, anyways? For nobility and chivalry? Or, was it for _her_? Gunther saw a shock of red hair above him, and sighed. Yes, for her. He would die a thousand deaths to save her. "Stupid girl," he murmured with his last breath, before fading into nothingness.

**Miss Independent- Kelly Clarkson**

She didn't want to fall in love. Love was seemingly too complicated, too fraught with emotion that would distract her. And, if she fell in love, all of her work would be in vain...wouldn't it? Would _they_, the king and her knight masters and her _husband_,let her continue her quest for knighthood if she married and bore children? She wasn't really sure. But the thought of revoking her apprenticeship scared her, and she fought to ignore all romance. She ignored the banter from her fellow squire, and struggled to not notice the sweet support that she received from the Court Jester. But, fight valiantly as she did, Jane could not really remove the emotion from her independent heart, which craved only to be loved.

**Button For Punishment- Everybody Else**

His friendship with her was, by far, the sweetest and most torturous relationship of his life- the most precious and painful of things, to be so close to her, and know that she did not feel the same or did not _want_ to feel anything at all. It was a beautiful punishment, one that he craved more than life itself. Jane was everything and nothing more than a friend to Jester.

**Unfaithful- Rihanna**

She couldn't stop the tears. She had thought that they could be together, that they could make it work. Knight and knight...they had something in common, didn't they?  
But it killed her inside, to know that he could love another woman, be happy with another. That Gunther could be...could be happy with someone other that Jane was like a blade being dragged slowly across her heart. She felt alone, knowing that he could be so unfaithful in his promises to her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if holding herself together, as sobs wracked her lithe body. The fresh spring breeze nipped at her, blowing her red frizz around her face.

"Jane?" The voice was soft, gentle, and she looked up to see the clear, honest eyes of the Jester. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her in comfort, and simply held her, as the most faithful of friends.

**Good Enough- Evanescence**

For the present all she wanted was to be friends. He understood completely, knowing that if she ever wanted him, he had already as good as given her his heart. A smile of pleasure flickered across her face, lighting a tender flame of hope in his heart. Hope, however small and wavering it was, was good enough for him.

**Please Don't Stop The Music- Rihanna**

The lilting melody was beautiful, flowing from the lute with exquisite grace. Jane sat at Jester's feet on the battlements, her back pressed against the cool, weatherworn stone, listening in awe.

"Beautiful," she murmured. "You truly have a give for the arts, Jester." He smiled in response, glad to please her. "Promise me that you will never stop playing?" She stood up to face him, her face the picture of bliss. "Promise?"

"I...of course, Jane?" He replied, confused. She beamed.

"If you stopped, I think that I'd be quite desolate," she said, and before he realized it, she had leant forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

**Everything Is Beautiful- Starfield**

Everything was brighter. More vibrant. Alive.

Jane sighed contentedly, a small smile stretched across her face as she watched the sun rising from the top of her tower. Her arms wrapped around her lithe frame, her viridian eyes on the horizon. She felt lighter than she had in ages, thinking of the way he looked at her as if she was the most priceless thing in the world. The way he kissed her when no one was looking, and the way she fit so easily into his arms.

Beautiful. Love truly made everything beautiful.

**You Decide- Fireflight**

Jane felt cold, a slow ripping sensation moving throughout her body. Fear roared in her ears, a thunderous rushing sound, and the scent of battle was growing on the air, sharply vile.

The young messenger boy stood panting beside her, his grey eyes still wide with the shock of the news he bore.

"Lady Jane?" His voice was small, sounding shaky and afraid. "Sir Gunther's squad..."

Jane's heart twisted painfully. It had always been her greatest fear that Gunther would ever be captured or killed while she was in no position to help him. It was as if an invisible scale were before her eyes, measuring her desire to save her lover and her duty to protect the castle and her King. Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore were deep in the fight, untrained peasants gathered among them as they battled against the invaders. Jane had been left in charge of the defences of the castle, with Gunther leading a strike force against the enemy's flank. A strike force whose element of surprise had been lost, turning the tide against them.

"What are your orders?" The boy asked. Jane let out a slow, shaky breath. Time seemed to stand still, a fierce clash of desire and duty warring with Jane's were not enough knights, not enough armed men, to lead a rescue mission, but she couldn't just _leave_ _him there_! Beads of fearful perspiration gathered at the back of Jane's neck. Her every fibre screamed for Gunther _Gunther_ _Gunther!_ It was at such a time that she needed Dragon, and yet the great green lizard was continuing his search for his kin out of the realm. Of all the moments for him to be gone… There was not even time for Jane's Dragonsword to recall him.

"I...oh, dear _God_, please be merciful...I..." Jane felt herself choke on the words forming on her lips, her hands clenching the edge of the battlements as the realization hit her with an almost physical force. "I...m-maintain all positions. I'll be _damned_ if Kippernia falls. God spare Gunther."

The boy nodded, his large eyes trustful. Only then did Jane notice their distinct, clear yet stormy grey hue, and felt her heart constrict in pain. There was only one other person Jane knew with such eyes, and she had just as good as condemned him to death.

**Done With Her- Anna Abreu**

Gunther scowled, shouldering his pack as he took that first step away from Kippernium. He'd never thought it would affect him so much if she actually rejected him. It had seemed impossible at the time that she might actually deny him. Completely ridiculous. He heard a harsh, cynical burst of laughter escape his throat, grating his ears. He had supposed wrongly, though, and if she wanted the little blue fool, she could have him for all he cared now. His heart had seemingly vanished as she had gently explained that she did not return his feelings, a gaping hole left in its place. The pity in her eyes disgusted him, and he had immediately requested the King for a distant post, vowing violently that he would never see Jane again.

He was done. Completely done with her, closing the hole that had been his heart with an iron will.


End file.
